Connecticut tight end Ryan Griffin (94) hauls in a pass against Pittsburgh during the first half of an NCAA college football game in East Hartford, Conn., Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Connecticut tight end Ryan Griffin (94) hauls in a pass against Pittsburgh during the first half of an NCAA college football game in East Hartford, Conn., Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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EAST HARTFORD, CT - NOVEMBER 09: Nick Williams #31 of the University of Connecticut Huskies runs back a punt return for a touchdown past Mike Shanahan #87 of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers during the game on November 9, 2012 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

EAST HARTFORD, CT - NOVEMBER 09: Nick Williams #31 of the University of Connecticut Huskies runs back a punt return for a touchdown past Mike Shanahan #87 of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers during the

Connecticut quarterback Scott McCummings (11) is pressured by Pittsburgh defensive back K'Waun Williams (2) in the first half of an NCAA college football game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Connecticut quarterback Scott McCummings (11) is pressured by Pittsburgh defensive back K'Waun Williams (2) in the first half of an NCAA college football game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.,

EAST HARTFORD -- Once again, UConn gave its fans its now all-too-familiar Jekyll and Hyde performance. Great first half against Pitt. Disappointing second half against Pitt. But this time, the Huskies found the right potion to keep the monster from returning. And from losing the game.

The Huskies finally did what they had to do to win, making a crucial first-down completion with just over two minutes left to play and UConn held on to beat Pitt 24-17 before 33,503 Friday night at Rentschler Field and snap a four-game losing streak.

"It's a great feeling. It's nice to win one of these," UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "We've had our share of these kind of (close) games."

After losing heartbreakers against North Carolina State, Western Michigan, Temple and South Florida this season, the Huskies finally came though in the end -- thanks to a 24-point first half and a clutch 17-yard completion to Shakim Phillips on a third-and-7 from the UConn 28 with 2:22 to play that allowed the Huskies to run out the clock.

"We showed what we were made of tonight," said tight end Ryan Griffin, who caught six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. "We were hitting on all cylinders tonight, offense, defense and special teams."

The Huskies did hit on all cylinders -- for a half, anyway -- opening up an impressive 24-0 lead as the Huskies posted their first rushing touchdown since Buffalo on Sept. 29 and recorded its first special-teams touchdown since Sept. 15 at Maryland en route to its best all-around half this season.

"Needless to say, I'm proud of the kids, proud of the team," Pasqualoni said. "I thought we started well and set the tempo for the night."

The Huskies -- in Dr. Jekyll mode -- went 75 yards in 11 plays to score on Griffin's two-yard TD catch and then went 61 yards in 12 plays to make it 10-0 on Chad Christen's 29-yard field goal. Nick Williams went 80 yards to score on a punt return to push the margin to 17-0.

Then Lyle McCombs, who rushed for 120 yards -- just his second 100-yard rushing game this season -- scored from two yards out to make it 24-0 and give every indication that a rout was coming.

But then Mr. Hyde reared his ugly head. Again. After amassing 249 offensive yards in the first half, the Huskies managed just 96 yards in the second. Griffin made all six of his catches in the first half, and, until that game-saving Phillips catch, UConn was on the edge of another monumental collapse.

"You knew that Pitt was going to come out hard in the second half," Pasqualoni said. "But we made the plays in the end that we needed to win the game, so we're happy."

Quarterback Chandler Whitmer completed 19 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. McCombs, who had just 95 yards rushing in his last three games total, busted out for 120 yards on 29 carries as the offense posted its second highest point total of the season.

And the defense did its job, too, holding Pitt tailback Ray Graham, who rushed for 172 yards in last week's triple OT loss at Notre Dame, to just 41 yards against UConn.

Perhaps inspired by the men's basketball team's 66-62 win over No. 14 Michigan State in Kevin Ollie's debut as head coach in Germany, the Huskies came out and marched 75 yards for a touchdown on its opening drive.

The first play of the game, a 13-yard play-action pass from Whitmer to Griffin, was an indication that UConn wasn't going to go with its usual vanilla play-calling. In fact, Whitmer and Griffin hooked up three times on the 11-play drive, for 38 yards.

UConn caught a break early in the second quarter when Panthers kicker Kevin Harper banged his 44-yard field goal try off the right upright with 13:03 left.

Pitt finally got on the scoreboard with a 42-yard field goal from Harper with 10:33 left in the third quarter. The key play was a 39-yard completion from a scrambling Sunseri to a wide-open Mike Shanahan to the UConn 25.

Two fourth quarter touchdown passes from Sunseri, the first, a six-yarder to Drew Carswell, made it 24-10 with 13:37 left. The second, an 18-yarder to Shanahan, cut the lead to 24-17 with 2:46 to play.